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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spell — letters
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bank — for money
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com